Examining Your Organization's DesignNow let's look more closely at your organization and its structure. Begin by noting the quadrant and the mini-quadrant in your assessment results.
Organizations vary according to:
- Whether they respond primarily to the needs of their customers (i.e., they are market driven) or the needs of the organization (i.e., they are function driven).
- Their extraversion or introversion - that is, the direction of their communication antennae. Are they focused on what's happening in the market because that market is so demanding and difficult, or are they focused on what's going on inside the organization because there is time to internally reflect - and because the market is relatively safe and stable?
- The amount and range of outside information they value and use, and the way in which that information penetrates the organization. Does it flow quickly through an interdependent system, or does it percolate slowly through a hierarchy with clearly-defined boundaries?
- The speed with which the organization reacts and adapts to outside information.
The following figure shows how your grid reflects these key aspects of your organization:
Ruler organizations are closed, independent, and isolated. They are organized around functions and driven primarily by internal considerations. They flourish in abundant, simple, stable markets, which they are able to dominate. They enjoy high demand for their products and/or services and consistently attempt to move toward stability.
Warrior organizations operate with the internally-driven, hierarchical style of a clan. This enables them to survive in low-margin, resource-scarce, and highly competitive markets. As such a market becomes increasingly competitive, warriors become somewhat more flexible, but they still remain internally focused and able to quickly influence large volumes of product or services. Warriors are both highly aggressive and highly defensive. Their goal is to maximize the use and accessibility of their products and services.
Hunters are flexibly-structured organizations which are highly interdependent with their markets. They have developed systems that allow them to track and respond to rapid and highly-unpredictable market changes. Their key attribute is versatility, and their focus is on innovating and marketing products into niches of need.
Pioneers are flexible, loosely-organized organizations that can respond quickly to changing conditions. Although they function in unpredictable markets, they can succeed by earning good or excellent margins on new products. Their focus is on moving new technology or innovations into the market. Their key characteristic is opportunism.
The next figure looks closely at each organizational archetype, and breaks each one down into four more specific mini-quadrants. Find the particular quadrant in which you plotted your circle, then consult the chart below to learn about how your organization currently functions.
Once again, I suggest that you review and compare the descriptions in all the different mini-quadrants, particularly other mini-quadrants within your archetype, and the mini-quadrants adjacent to yours. You will see once again that the four mini-quadrants closest to the grid's center point offer the most favorable circumstances - and the greatest opportunities - for success.
